0:28:29 > 0:28:32Pembrokeshire has Britain's most coastal national park,
0:28:32 > 0:28:36a glorious shoreline that you can walk from beginning to end
0:28:36 > 0:28:40enjoying a coast path 186 miles long.
0:28:41 > 0:28:47It helps to get your walking boots on to find the surprises tucked away along this shore.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Like here, at Abereiddi.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56The locals call this place the Blue Lagoon,
0:28:56 > 0:28:58and its aquamarine colour
0:28:58 > 0:29:02gives it the look of a tropical pool, but it's far from natural.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07Now it's a playground for divers and coasteers,
0:29:07 > 0:29:09but this place is a clue
0:29:09 > 0:29:14to an industrial boom that happened here more than 100 years ago.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17It's not just the sea that's been eating away at this coast.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21The locals have done their share of nibbling too.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25This was a slate quarry that once employed around 100 workers.
0:29:27 > 0:29:32And just along the coastal path, another giant hole in the ground.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36An exceptionally hard stone - dolerite - was blasted out
0:29:36 > 0:29:40of the cliffs here, an ideal material for buildings and roads.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48The rock was hauled a short distance by rail
0:29:48 > 0:29:50to the tiny harbour at Porthgain.
0:29:52 > 0:29:57The village is still dominated by enormous brick hulks.
0:29:57 > 0:30:02Here the stone was crushed and graded in five separate bunkers,
0:30:02 > 0:30:04then it cascaded down a loading chute
0:30:04 > 0:30:06into boats waiting at the quayside.
0:30:08 > 0:30:13Today, you see just the odd boat going in and out of the harbour, fishing for crabs and lobsters.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17But when the quarry was going full tilt, the company had six steam coasters
0:30:17 > 0:30:21and at one time there were 100 other vessels, all registered at the port,
0:30:21 > 0:30:24and they're not entirely forgotten either.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28The nameplates of many of them are inside the pub, nailed to the walls and above the tables.
0:30:30 > 0:30:35A remarkable industrial operation dominated the surrounding area
0:30:35 > 0:30:37right up until the 1930s.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Unearthing this lost world of endeavour
0:30:40 > 0:30:46is a bit of archaeology anyone can do, so much still remains.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53The Teifi Estuary marks the dividing line between Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire,
0:30:53 > 0:30:59with its own popular holiday destinations - resorts like Newquay
0:30:59 > 0:31:02and the Georgian seaside town of Aberaeron.
0:31:10 > 0:31:16Further north is Aberystwyth, a University town used to gowns...
0:31:16 > 0:31:17and beach towels.
0:31:20 > 0:31:26That dual personality is captured in this grand Victorian building, the Old College.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30It was conceived as an opulent resort hotel,
0:31:30 > 0:31:33but it went bust before it was finished,
0:31:33 > 0:31:37only to be snapped up for a bargain price in 1872
0:31:37 > 0:31:42by the founders of Wales's very first university.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45It was all made possible by 70,000 donations from the public,
0:31:45 > 0:31:49people like miners and quarrymen who were passionate
0:31:49 > 0:31:52that education was the path to a better life.
0:31:52 > 0:31:59Now, Aberystwyth is known as the university founded on the pennies of the poor.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12North from Aberystwyth to another Victorian seaside resort - Barmouth.
0:32:16 > 0:32:21The Mawddach Estuary, where the Snowdonia National Park sweeps down to the sea.
0:32:24 > 0:32:30The poet William Wordsworth called the mix of coast and mountain here "sublime".
0:32:32 > 0:32:35But there'll be no time to stand and stare for Nick.
0:32:43 > 0:32:48I'm about to find out what it takes to compete in one of the world's
0:32:48 > 0:32:52toughest sporting challenges, a race on land...
0:32:52 > 0:32:54and at sea.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59Every year since 1977,
0:32:59 > 0:33:02teams gather in Barmouth to launch an assault
0:33:02 > 0:33:04on Britain's highest mountains.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08I've come here to train with the crew of the Mistral
0:33:08 > 0:33:13as they prepare for the gruelling Three Peaks Yacht Race.
0:33:13 > 0:33:14- Hi, Helen.- Hello!
0:33:14 > 0:33:17- Very good to meet you, can I come on board?- Welcome aboard!
0:33:17 > 0:33:19- Thank you.- There you go.
0:33:19 > 0:33:24The course works its way up the west coast, stopping at Snowdon,
0:33:24 > 0:33:29the highest peak in Wales, Scafell Pike, England's highest peak,
0:33:29 > 0:33:31and they save the hardest till last.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34Britain's tallest challenge, Ben Nevis.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38To get between the climbs, contestants take to their boats,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40all the way to Fort William.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Right, I'm ready.
0:33:47 > 0:33:48Yeah, go for it.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54Can we just ease that sheet a little bit, please?
0:33:54 > 0:33:56What's the wind blowing at?
0:33:56 > 0:33:59That last gust was about an eight,
0:33:59 > 0:34:01so 40 knots of wind.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11- How does it feel?- The boat feels great, how does everybody else feel?
0:34:11 > 0:34:12Yay!
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Mind the sheet.
0:34:14 > 0:34:15OK, guys, ready to go?
0:34:18 > 0:34:20There's a crew of five -
0:34:20 > 0:34:24the skipper, two specialist sailors and two runners.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27Every second saved at sea is a stride up the mountain,
0:34:27 > 0:34:29so they run a tight ship.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32The race is timed for boat performance speed
0:34:32 > 0:34:35and catching the right tide, and if you catch the right tide,
0:34:35 > 0:34:36you can get 6-12 hours ahead
0:34:36 > 0:34:39- of people who missed that tide. - Will you sail at night?
0:34:39 > 0:34:43Our first difficult navigation is coming through
0:34:43 > 0:34:47the sand bar at Caernarfon at 2am, which will be dark.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49That sounds a complete horror story.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52Yeah, essentially. It can be tricksy and quite difficult.
0:34:52 > 0:34:59In all, they'll have to sail nearly 400 miles to get between Britain's three tallest peaks.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03When they arrive at a climb, they've got to get inland quick.
0:35:03 > 0:35:08The first port of call is Caernarfon, the stopping off point for Snowdon.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19Whatever the weather, tourists will pay to take the train to the summit,
0:35:19 > 0:35:23but the race contestants will have to run up it.
0:35:31 > 0:35:37Our brief training run over, we get to do something they won't do during the race itself -
0:35:37 > 0:35:39take a rest!
0:35:39 > 0:35:42This is just a taster, I guess,
0:35:42 > 0:35:46of what you're going to be facing when the race kicks off properly.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49How many miles are you going to be running on the whole race?
0:35:49 > 0:35:51In total, there's over 100km.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55The leg we're on today, the Snowdon leg, is 36km.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57You're running up here at night, aren't you?
0:35:57 > 0:36:00Yeah, it will probably be about 4am
0:36:00 > 0:36:03which is going to be rather unpleasant for both of us.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06What happens when things get really difficult or go wrong?
0:36:06 > 0:36:09Instead of a sleeping bag, we carry a blizzard bag which is...
0:36:09 > 0:36:12- Which I can show you here. - It weighs about 300g,
0:36:12 > 0:36:15so a lot of the runners will be carrying these
0:36:15 > 0:36:20which are double-foil blankets, so they insulate you a bit.
0:36:20 > 0:36:21They're a bit like a sleeping bag.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23So in a race like this, every gram counts,
0:36:23 > 0:36:27every gram saved is another few seconds you can cut off the race.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Exactly, faster up the hill, yeah.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31So let's roll this out,
0:36:31 > 0:36:36find a nice little hole for you to sleep in and go in.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Just wriggle inside do we?
0:36:38 > 0:36:40Do you take your shoes off first?
0:36:40 > 0:36:42- I guess you would?- No, not at all.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49It's cosy, isn't it?
0:36:49 > 0:36:54And if it was really cold, we'd be in there with you as well!
0:36:54 > 0:36:56Go on then, Maria.
0:36:59 > 0:37:05It took the team five days - and 38 minutes, to be exact -
0:37:05 > 0:37:09to reach Fort William. Of the 32 yachts at the start line in Barmouth,
0:37:09 > 0:37:12they came in a creditable 13th.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15I only wish I could have stayed with them on their epic journey.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd